As technology changes at the speed of light, it can be challenging to keep up. On the other hand, we, are able to do amazing things with just a little knowledge and practice. The best part is we don't have to know the science behind the wizardry!!!!
I have been an Apple lover for years. Working at home without an IT Department, I had to be able to figure things out pretty much on my own. Thank G-d for my kids and grandkids who can help me out when I get into trouble, but the intuitive nature of the Apple products have served me very well. I finally broke down and bought an iPhone 6 Plus because the screen was finally big enough for me to see stuff on it and the keys were big enough for me to hit the right one the first time! I don't need to have my phone glued to my body at all times, so the larger size works just fine for me. The biggest surprise to me was the camera in the phone. I still can't get over the color accuracy. It is spot on and I no longer have to adjust the color when I photograph my art work. With all my other cameras I struggled to get the color on the screen and in a print out to look like the original. Boy, those days are happily gone. So, since I had a nice camera in my phone I decided to invest a little in a few extras. I bought one of those extension sticks, thinking I could take some unusual angles. That came with an attachable tripod. I also bought a small table top tripod for the phone and some attachable lenses. Since so much of my work involves working from a photograph, I wanted to expand my possibilities without spending a fortune on extra equipment. I downloaded an app called CAMERA PLUS, which turned out to be one of the best moves I could have made... and here is why....
I like to enter competitions where the acceptance requires that you provide camera ready art for the publication. I never had the equipment or technical skill to take that kind of photograph and hired a professional photographer to do it for me. Sometimes the painting was already framed and twice it was in a national show and wouldn't be back before the deadline for submitting the photo to the publication. Lucky for me, those two times the paintings were local and I was able to solve the problem but lots of added stress. I never professionally photographed my work "just in case" because of the expense. Enter the iPhone 6 with an 8 megapixel camera. In the Camera Plus app there is a setting where you take the photo at the full 8 megapixels in tiff format which means there is no compression. I put the phone/camera on the tripod for steadiness and attached the ear buds which will act as a shutter release by clicking the volume control on the cord. Now I can take my own professional photographs and I don't need special lighting, a high end digital camera or any advanced photographic expertise....the new technology does it all for me.
The image above is the result of my first professional photo adventure. It looks slightly distorted here because it is a much higher resolution than the blog is designed for, but, I wanted to show you an example.
With my tripod and "selfie stick" I am going to experiment with the video capabilities in the phone and try creating some small videos of different techniques. What technologic discoveries have you made that have enhanced your art making abilities? Please share. We learn and grow from each other.
22 comments:
Fantastic Myrna! I am so impressed. I'm just doing well using a smart phone, never mind the fancy stuff!
Congratulations! You are an inspiration!
I understand the frustration photographing artwork. The first digital camera I owned was fantastic. Alas, Kodak discontinued that EasyShare model, and one day it just stopped working. Many cameras later, the Nikon has proven to be easier to learn with good quality photos.
Myrna, I love how you celebrate the lines, the life in peoples' faces. This is fabulous. I recently tried to buy an IPhone and Verizon would not let me. I hate the phone I just upgraded to and wanted to get the IPhone and they actually told me I could not. I truly despise Verizon wireless and find them impossible to work with. I had them years ago and went through the same type of issues then. Ex-husband signed up with them so I'm stuck until 2017.
A very interesting and useful post, thanks Myrna :)
Excellent info! I just got an iPhone 6+ a few days ago - haven't used the camera yet. Now I'm ready to have some fun - thank you!
Love this post Myrna. I paint in oils and use a medium which creates a gloss, hence reflections. I usually photograph the work from an angle to avoid the reflections then in Photoshop I use the skew tool to restore the image to the correct proportions. Do you know of any hi res iPhone or iPad app that includes the skew feature?
Thanks, Janet. Everything is the fancy stuff with an smart phone. I bought a book to learn all the "hidden" capabilities and learn just one new thing each day.. Loving it!
A good camera is a must for an artist. I was happy with my camera until I discovered how much better my iPhone camera was and I didn't need to carry an extra item.
Sherry, see about another carrier buying out your contract. The phones have to be specific to one of two systems so check with the Apple Store. I can't remember which carriers use comparable hardware but I think you cannot switch from Verizon to ATT & T as they have different internal chips in the phone. Anyway, I would see what you can do about breaking the Verizon bondage.
Thank you Kay. Hope you can use some of the information.
Hi Lynn, I think you are going to love the phone I tried doing some stealth photography by attaching the ear bud cord and keeping the volume control switch part in my pocket and holding the phone against my chest. Haven't quite mastered the idea but working on it!
Hi Anonymous, I don't know all the apps and none of the ones I have will make that adjustment but the camera/phone can tilt in the tripod to eliminate the glare and you can then make the same "fix" in Photoshop.
I have been wanting to upgrade to the 6Plus for the camera. How many gigabytes did you get on your phone?
Hi Myrna! Thanks for this post. I am wanting the 6 + for the same reasons you mentioned and am thrilled to hear of the camera capabilities! Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Jan, I just checked and it says 55.7 gigabytes
Hi Kim, I have been following your successes!! Great to hear from you. You will love the phone.
Hi Myrna, thanks for checking GB's. I worded my question wrong. The 6Plus comes in a 16, 64 or 128 GB model I wanted to know which one you bought? Thanks, Jan
Hi Jan, I chose 64 after checking my iPad Mini which I used very much like a phone except for actual calls. I saw how much space was still on the iPad and knew this was enough. I don't down load movies or play games with graphics. Just thousands of photos!!!!
Hope this is helpful to you.
Dear Myrna,
Your timing couldn't have been better! I switched from my flip phone to an iPhone 6 just 2 weeks ago. Yes, I'm the last official Luddite on the planet. And after reading your post, I have purchased the same photo equipment in addition to the Camera Plus app. Loving it all. Thanks for sharing. Not sure if this will come through as "anonymous" so .. greetings from Fran Chuba ... one of the students from your first classes so very long ago. Congrats on all your success. You are such a generous teacher and person.
Thank you Myrna, like you I don't use my phone for movies or games, just pics, audio books and phone stuff.
I have been thinking about getting the 64 and you helped me decide. I took your workshop in Watertown, SD and you inspired me to use texture in my work I also liked the idea of rolling the dice. I enjoy your blogs. Congratulations on your article in Palette Mag!
Fran, thank you for identifying yourself. Haven't seen you in ages. I appreciate the kind words. Let me know what you discover interesting with the phone. Hope to meet up someday soon.
Jan, I loved Watertown and working with everyone. You can send me images of your work that you have done as a result of the workshop. I would love to see it.
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